Chapters 13–16

Chapters 13–16

Chapters 13–16

Chapters 13–16

Chapters 13–16

Chapters 13–16

Summary—Chapter 13: The Delights of Anticipation

Marilla fumes as she looks out the window and sees Anne
talking to Matthew forty-five minutes after she was supposed to
go inside and do chores. Marilla’s anger diminishes as Anne bursts
into the room and joyfully describes the Sunday school picnic planned
for the following week. She cannot wait to attend and to have her
first taste of ice cream. When Marilla agrees to let her attend
and says she will bake a basket of food for Anne to take along,
Anne flies into her arms and kisses her cheek. Marilla flushes with
warmth, though she disguises her pleasure with an injunction to
Anne to be more obedient. Anne talks excitedly about her adventures
with Diana and especially about their playhouse in the woods, which
is composed of discarded pieces of board and china.

When Marilla tries to hush Anne and quell her excitement
about the upcoming picnic, Anne replies that she would rather look
forward to things and risk disappointment than follow advice from stodgy
ladies like Mrs. Rachel who say, “Blessed are they who expect nothing
for they shall not be disappointed.” Anne says she was disappointed
when she finally saw a diamond because it was not half as beautiful
as she had imagined. She envisioned that a diamond was as colorful
as the best amethyst, a stone that pleases both Anne and Marilla.
Marilla has an amethyst brooch, her most prized possession, which
she wears to church. Anne loves it so much that she begs Marilla
to let her hold it for a minute.

Summary—Chapter 14: Anne’s Confession

Two days before the picnic, Marilla notices that her brooch
is missing. She asks Anne if she touched it, and Anne admits that
while Marilla was out for the afternoon, she saw it in Marilla’s
room and tried it on just for a moment. Marilla, after searching
her room thoroughly, realizes that Anne must have lost the brooch.
Anne denies she lost it, steadfastly maintaining that she put it
back. Marilla, however, cannot reconcile Anne’s story with the fact
that the brooch is nowhere to be found, and she sends Anne to her
room, declaring that she must stay there until she confesses.

On the day of the picnic, Anne decides to confess. In
poetic, theatrical language, she explains that she borrowed the
brooch so that she could imagine she was Lady Cordelia and then
accidentally dropped it into the Lake of Shining Waters. Marilla
is furious that Anne lied and that she seems to feel no remorse.
She orders Anne to stay in her room and tells her she cannot attend
the picnic—a sentence Anne thinks unjust, since Marilla promised
she could leave her room once she confessed. Anne throws a fit.
Matthew suggests that Marilla is being a bit harsh, but he cannot
think of a good defense for Anne.

Marilla, trying to busy herself with chores, goes to
fetch a black shawl that needs mending. When she picks it up, she
catches sight of the brooch hanging from a thread. Realizing she
was at fault the whole time and that Anne was telling the truth
when she said she didn’t lose it, Marilla goes to Anne to apologize.
She feels sorry for treating Anne as she did and has to squelch
a desire to laugh at Anne’s invented confession. She scolds Anne
for confessing to a deed she did not commit but admits she forced
Anne to lie. Anne goes to her picnic and comes home overjoyed, telling
stories about her adventures and about the indescribable taste of
ice cream.

Summary—Chapter 15: A Tempest in the School Teapot

Anne and Diana take the most scenic route to school every
day, walking on roads Anne has renamed Lover’s Lane and Willowmere and
Violet Vale. Anne is thrilled to have a bosom friend in Diana and is
willing to overlook Diana’s average imagination. Because Anne loves
Diana so much, she lets Diana call a place the Birch Path, even though
the name lacks Anne’s spark of originality. Marilla had worried
that Anne’s temper, talkativeness, and oddities would cause her trouble
at school, but Anne turns out to be a smart pupil and quickly adjusts.
The other girls include her in their potluck lunches and exchange
of small gifts. Anne dislikes boys and does not like the idea of
flirting with them, though she is humiliated by the thought that boys
are unlikely to flirt with her.